Wheel-colter



L. K. BENEDICT.

WHEEL coma.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30,1920- 1,379fi l 3 Patented May 31, 19211.

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WHEEL COLTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30.1920.

. Patented May 311., 1921.

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WHEEL COLTER. APPLICATION FILE-D JUNE 30, 1920 1,379,61 3, Patented May 31, 1921 6 SHEETS-SHEET 3- (inventor:

L. K. BENEDICT.

WHEEL COLTER. APPLICATION FILED m; 30. 1920.

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WHEEL COLTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30. 1920.

Patented May 31, 1921.

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31 1 uoul'oz 4 @MM I as SATES LOUIS K. BENEDICT, OF HASTINGS, FLORIDA.

WHEEL-COLTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 31, 1921.

Application filed June 30, 1920. Serial No. 393,074.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Louis K. BENEDICT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hastings, in the county of Saint Johns and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l/VheeLColters, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to colters, more particularly to that type commonly called rolling colters The principal object of the present invention is the provision of mechanism of the class referred to for efiectively cutting the heavier growths of velvet bean vines, tough grasses and the like.

The invention essentially comprises a plurality of cutting sections arranged side by side and mounted independently of each other.

For a full description reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which Figures 1, 2 and 3 are plan View, side elevation and rear elevation, respectively, of one embodiment of the invention;

Figs. 4 and 5 are a plan view and a side elevation respectively of one of the details;

Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views of other details and Figs. 8 and 9 are a plan view and a side elevation of another embodiment of the invention.

The device shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 includes three cutting sections. Each cuttin section comprises two crushing drums 10 and 11 and a colter 12.

The crushing drums have suificient weight to firmly grip the vegetable growths and hold them tightly to the ground during the cutting operation.

Each pair of crushing drums 10, 11 is mounted as a unit upon a short axle preferably as shown in Fig. 6. Upon an axle bolt 13 are mounted two swivel blocks 14 and 15 which are firmly secured together and define a central groove 16. Brass tubes 17 and conical end pieces 18 are disposed at both sides of the swivel blocks and united therewithby means of nuts 13' at the ends of thebolt 13.

The hub of a crushing drum is formed to fit the brass tube 17 and the cone piece 18. In practice the conical outer part 19 of the hubs is lined with Babbit or other suitable ient means for taking up wear. A grease cup 20 is preferably provided for lubricatmg the bearing.

The hub may advantageously have a flange portion 21 adapted to fit into a counge4r1b5ored portion 22 in the swivel blocks By this arrangement the entrance of sand into the bearings from the inside is practically avoided. A dust cap 23 may be attached to the hub to prevent sand from entering from the outside.

To the swivel blocks 14 and 15 are secured arms 24 and 25 which carry the colters 12. At the other end the arms 24 and 25 are extended at an angle to form handle portions 26.

The groove 16 defined by the swivel blocks is occupied by a ring 27 which forms the real part of draw bars 28 the front part of which is pivotally connected to the frame 29.

Between the draw bars 28 is secured a set quadrant 30 to aiford an adjustment for the colter. By means of a dog 31 on the arm 26 engaging the openings 32 of the quadrant the colter may be held in any desired posi tion.

The pivotal connection between the drawbars 28 and the frame 29 may, of course, assume various forms. In order, however, to assure a normally vertical position for the cutting sections and prevent excessive wear, I provide spaced hinge brackets 34 preferably forming the ends of a bar 34 adapted to be attached to the frame 29. The draw bars 28 are diverging and are spaced apart at their ends to be connected to the brackets 34 by means of suitable bolts 35. I obtain an exceedingly rigid structure able to withstand all torsional strains by providing additional brackets 86 intermediate the draw bars 28 and angle brackets 37 spaced from the bars 28 to define therewith a space to receive the brackets 84. It is understood that other suitable bracing may be provided to prevent a twisting of the draw bar structure under the heavy strains incident to the action of the heavy cutting section, the weight of which is approximately 625 pounds.

It may be stated here that the swivel blocks 14, 15 are made of relatively large diameter in order to obtain a relatively large leverage about the hub of the cutting sections. The flanges 16 and the ring 27 may be made of suitable width in radial direction to correspondingly reduce the liability to wabble.

The frame 29 is supported, in the particular form of device, upon a relatively small furrow wheel and a larger land wheel 41 and in turn supports a rear furrow wheel 42.

The frame 29 which is preferably a channel bar is provided with holes about 2 inches apart and'the brackets 34 have-slot holes about two inches long (not shown) so that the brackets 34 and the cutting sections may be attached in any desired position transversely of the frame 29.

A channel frame 43 extending generally parallel to the frame 29 in front thereof is connected to the latter by means of a frame element 44 at one end and by channels 45 and 46 at the other end. The frame element 44 comprises a tubular casing 47 in which by brackets 54 and 55 to the tongue crane 56 whereby the furrow wheel 40 is turned through the same angle as the guide tongue 57. The tongue crane comprises a U-shaped angle iron 58 preferably of forged steel pivotally supported at its rear end upon a casting 59 which in turn is secured tor-the frame 29 and a brace 60 pivotally secured to the lower side of the casting 29. Upon the upper surface of the casting 59 is supported a cam plate 61 which is additionally supported upon the tubular element 50. A red 62 carries at one end a pin 63 extending through the slot 58' in plate 58 and into the many ways, but the parts are arranged inthe particular way to produce a cheap and simple exchangeable connection.

The elevation of the wheel 41 may be adjusted by means of a crank through shaft 71 carrying a worm (not shown) engaging pinion 72 which in turn meshes with rack 73 on spindle 48. The operating parts including shaft 71 and handle 7 O are mountand 46 relatively to the wheel spindle.

Vertical spindle 42' of the rear furrow wheel 42 is connected to the channel bars 45 and 46 by means of two bars 74 and 75 attached to a tubular element 76 fitting over the spindle 42. r

As indicated in Fig. 2, a seat 77 may be detachably secured to the frame by means of a plate 78 hooked over the channel bar 43 and resting upon frame 29.

' 79 represents a draw cle-vis.

' The operation is as follows: The cam slot 61' is so disposed that the wheel'41 is turned at a rate which is different from that at which the guide tongue and the furrow wheel 40 are turned, the arrangement being so that the movement of the larger wheel 41 and the smaller wheel 40 impart a free rolling movement to the device as a whole. v

The rear furrow wheel serves two purposes. It gages the distance'to the cutting blade and provides a three-point suspen sion. It is used when the machine is cutting furrow by furrow aheadof the plow. Where there are rows to follow,bars 74 and 75 and rear furrow wheel 42 may be detached and a cutting section may beattached intermediate channel bars 45 and 46. The cutting section in this position will take the place of the rear furrow wheel and answers the same purpose as the latter. This cutting section rolls in the alley of the row and will hold-the other sections on the top of the bed. are arranged in this way, an entire field may be cutbefore plowing and each will be easily foundon the row. v

The cutting sections move over the ground independently of each other, hold the vegetable matter tight while the colters but it into relatively short lengths which canbe readily turned under. f

The drums 10 and 11 are provided with sharp" edged ribs 10 which-serve to'cut the vegetable matter due to the fact that'the flat parts to both sides of them-wedge the growth tight while the sharp-edged ribs sink quickly into the ground' Figs. 8 and 9 show a tractor gang which differs from the previouslv described device in that the frame is carried. upon two wheels of equal size. To thetransverse channel bars 80 and 81 which are interconnected by vertically extending I-beams 82,

are connected plates 83 and 84-and between these plates-and to bar 81 is secured a casting 85 whichafi'ords a bearing for the vertical spindles 86. The spindle 86 forms part of a carrier frame 87 terminating in hori When the cutting sections cut zontal arms 88 to which the wheels 89 are pivotally connected.

In this form of device the cutting sections 90 are likewise individually connected to the frame.

I claim:

1. A wheel colter comprising a draw frame and a plurality of weighted cutting sections in parallel arrangement trans versely of the line of draft pivotally connected to the frame independently of each other.

2. A wheel colter, comprising a draw frame and a plurality of weighted cutter disks in parallel arrangement transversely of the line of draft and a draw bar for each cutter disk, said draw bars being pivotally connected to the draw frame independently of each other.

3. A wheel colter, comprising a draw frame, a plurality of heavy drums, hav ing each a central peripheral depression, a draw bar for each drum, pivotally connected to the draw frame, a cutter disk connected to each drum and disposed to operate in the space defined by said depres- SlOIl.

4:. A wheel colter, comprising a draw frame, a plurality of heavy drums, each composed of two drum members spaced in parallel relation, a draw bar for each drum, pivotally connected to the draw frame, a

cutter disk connected to each drum and disposed to operate in the space defined by the two drum members.

5. In a wheel colter, a transverse draw frame having a plurality of perforations, a plurality of pairs of bracket elements having slots approximately as long as the dis tance between adjacent perforations bolts adapted to pass through the slots and to be secured in the said perforations and a plurality of cutting sections adapted to be secured to the said brackets.

6. In a wheel colter, a transverse draw frame, a cutting section including a pair of heavy drum members and a colter therebetween and means for pivotally connecting the cutting section to the draw frame, said means including, a pair of spaced lugs secured to the frame, a draw bar mechanism connected at one end to the drum members and having at its other end diverging arms, a brace intermediate the said arms adjacent their ends, an angle bracket connected to the brace near each end thereof and spaced from the end of the adjacent arm to define therewith a space for receiving one of the lugs and a pivotal con-' nection between each lug and the inclosing parts.

In testimony whereof, I affiX my signature.

LOUIS K. BENEDICT. 

